Filing drawer construction



A ril 20, 1965 J. H. BRINKER 3, 9 4

I FILING DRAWER CONSTRUCTION Filed March 4, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR. JOHN H. BRINKER,

A FTORNEYQ.

April 1965 J. H. BRINKER 3,179,480

FILiNG DRAWER CONSTRUCTION Filed March 4, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 2HIHIIJHIHHHHH/HHHI 0 Fig.6 30 Fig.7

INVENTOR JOHN H. BRINKER,

BY WW,JG- PM ATTORNEY.

April 20, 1965 J. H. BRINKER FILING DRAWER CONSTRUCTION Filed March 4,1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I: 9(- 26r f Ii W]. "11 2/0 220 39 22a i I MIL '4'22a 1 lml ii l Fig.8

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United States Patent 3,179,480 FILING DRAWER CONSTRUCTION John H.Brinker, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor, by mesne assignments, to TheGlobe-Wernicke Co., Division of Globe-Wernicke Industries Inc.,Cincinnati, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Filed Mar. 4, 1963, Ser. No. 262,579 1 Claim. (Cl.312214) This invention relates to a filing drawer construction. Moreparticularly it relates to a construction which makes possible the easyreplacement of the front finish panel of the file drawer where suchreplacement is desired for any reason.

There are a number of conditions in which it is desirable to be able toreplace just the front finish panel of a filing drawer rather than anentire drawer. By way of example, file drawers are now often constructedsuch that longitudinal dividers may be inserted therein over a falsebottom so as to convert an ordinary file drawer into a subdivideddrawer. Generally provision is made for the insertion of either onelongitudinal divider to make a two-compartment drawer or twolongitudinal dividers to make a three-compartment drawer. When this isdone, however, the difliculty is that the usual file drawer front isprovided with a single centrally disposed label holder. Thus, it wouldbe very desirable to be able to replace thefront finish panel of thedrawer with one having perhaps two label holders or three label holderswhen converting the filing drawer to a two-compartment orthreecompartment drawer.

Another example is one which arises from the availability of newmaterials. Thus there is now available a vinyl covered sheet metalwherein the vinyl may be provided in various colors and textures. Thismakes possible the coordination of colors and textures in the interiordecoration of oflfices. Under these circumstances it is desirable thatthe drawer fronts be capable of being changed when it is desired tochange the decor. Drawer fronts may thus be furnished in a variety ofcolors and finishes, painted or otherwise coated, and this variety andinterchangeability makes possible the color coding of records or files.

Of course, there is always the possibility that a particular drawerfront may be damaged as by being dented or scratched without any damageaccruing to the structure of the drawer itself. Presently it isnecessary to replace the entire drawer, whereas it should only benecessary to replace the front finish panel.

With the foregoing considerations in mind, it is an object of thepresent invention to provide a drawer construction wherein the frontfinish panel of the drawer is detachably secured to a false front whichforms an integral part of the drawer structure. It is another object ofthe invention to provide for a simple and easy removal and replacementof drawer fronts without the need for special tools or equipment.

These and other objects of the invention which will be described in moredetail hereinafter or which will be apparent to one skilled in the artupon reading these specifications are accomplished by that certainconstruction and arrangement of parts of which the following is adescription of an exemplary embodiment.

Reference is made to the drawings forming a part hereof and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view as seen from the rear of a finish frontpanel according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view as seen from the front of adrawer having a false front panel to which the panel of FIG. 1 isdetachably secured. FIG. 2 is drawn to a smaller scale.

3,179,436 Patented Apr. 20, 1965 ICC FIG. 3 is a rear elevational viewof the drawer of FTG. 2 on a reduced scale.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary crosssectional view on an enlarged scale takenon the line 4-4 of FIG. 3 adjacent the front of the drawer.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view on a small scale of the completelyassembled drawer with the finish front in place.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale takenon the line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary elevational view of the front portion of thedrawer as seen from the right in FIG. 5 also on an enlarged scale.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a drawer according to the invention providedwith dividers and a false bottom to make a compartmented drawer havingthree compartments.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the same taken on the line 9-9 ofFIG. 8.

Briefly, in the practice of the invention, the drawer may be ofconventional configuration having a bottom panel 10, side Walls 11 and12, a rear wall 13, and a false front panel 14. The specific design andconstruction of these panels and walls does not constitute apart of thepresent invention. The members above described may be secured togetheras for example by spot Welding into a unitary drawer formingrelationship.

The rear wall 13 may be provided with the slots 13a and the false frontpanel with the slots 14a for the insertion of longitudinal dividers suchas those indicated at 15 in FIG. 9.

The false front panel 14 is provided with a top flange 16, side flanges17 and 18 and a bottom flange 19. The bottom wall 10 will be providedwith a struck out lug or the like as indicated at 20. In the particularembodiment shown, there are two such lugs (see FIG. 3), one near each ofthe sides of the drawer. The purpose of these lugs will be describedhereinafter. 21 indicates the conventional central longitudinal bottomchannel through which a guide rod may pass as indicated at 22. To thisend the front panel is provided with the deformation 23 and the finishfront panel will be provided with the aperture 24- through which theguide rod 22 extends as at 25. All of this is conventional.

The finish front panel is indicated generally at 26 and as best seen inFIG. 1 it is provided with the top channel 27, the side channels 28 and29 and the bottom channel 30. Extending rearwardly from the bottomchannel 30 is a flange 31 having the cut-out portions 32. The flange 31is actually in two parts in order to clear the bottom channel 21previously referred to. Extending rearwardly from the side channels 28and 29 are the guide flanges 33 and 34 and the guide tabs 35 and 36.

By reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, it will be understood that the finishfront panel 26 is secured to the false front panel 14 by engaging thetop channel 27 over the top flange 16. The guide tabs 35 and 36 and 33and 34 respectively engage on the outsides of the side walls 11 and 12and the rearwardly extending flange 31 of the bottom channel 3t abutsagainst the bottom panel 10 with the securing lugs 20 passing throughthe apertures 32 in the flange 31. It will be clear that in order tochange panels it is only necessary to pry the flange 31 over theabutment 20, swinging the finish front panel counterclockwise as seen inFIG. 6 and lifting the top channel 27 off the top flange 16. A differentfinish front panel can then be assembled to the drawer by a reverseprocedure. The finish front panel will of course be provided with theusual drawer pull indicated at 37, which may be provided with a suitablelatching or trigger mechanism if desired and with the usual label holder38. If the drawer, as is usually the case, is provided with the lateralchannels 11a and 12a, it will be clear that the guide tabs 35 and 36will be savaaeo spaced outward from the guide flanges 33 and 3 so thatin the assembled conditions the guide tabs 35 and 36 bear snugly againstthe channels 11a and 12a while the guide flanges 33 and 34 bear snuglyagainst the side walls 11 and 12. 7

In FIGS. 8 and 9 there is a somewhat schematic showing of how aconventional drawer as shownin FIG. can be converted to a compartmenteddrawer. A false bottom structure is secured in the bottom of the drawerand this structure provides for a desired number of guide channels 21awhich have the same function as the chan nel 21 heretofore described. Inthe particular embodiment of FIGS. 8 and 9, the drawer has beensubdivided into three equal compartments. It could of course be dividedinto two compartments by using a different false bottom structure and bysecuring a single dividing wall 15 in the central one of the slots 14a.It can also be divided into compartments of unequal size by usingasuitable combination of the various slots 14a and 13a. In any event,each of the channels 21a will carry a guide rod 22a having the samepurpose as the guide rod 22. Each of the compartments may then beprovided with a suitable follower 39 of any desired construction.

When a drawer is converted, for example a three compartment drawer asshown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the particular finish front panel 26a will beprovided with three label holders 38a. If the drawer is divided into twocompartments, it is a simple matter to change the front finish panel toone having two label holders.

It will now be clear that ifit is desired for any one of the variousreasons described above to replace the front finish panel of the filedrawer, this can be done with the greatest of ease and a new panelhaving the desired number of label holders or a desired finish or colormay be assembled to the drawer.

Itwill be understood that the description herein is exemplary only andthat modifications will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.There is therefore no intention to limit the invention otherwise than asset forth in the following claim.

What is claimed is:

A filing drawer having a bottom panel, side walls each provided with alongitudinal stiffening channel, a rear wall and a false front panel,said panels and walls being secured together in drawer formingrelationship, and a detachable front finish panel bearing a pull and atleast one label holder, said false front panel having forwardly directedtop, bottom and side flanges, and said bottom panel having adjacent saidfalse front panel a securing abutment, said front finish panel havingrearwardly directed top, bottom and side channels, said bottom channelhaving a rearwardly directed flange provided with means cooperating withsaid securing abutment, said top channel engaging over the top flange ofsaid false front panel and the rearwardly directed flange on said bottomchannel bearing against said bottom panel when said forwardly directedtop flange is seated within said top channel and said side channelsaredisposed outside the respective side flanges, said side channels beingprovided with rearwardly extending guide flanges bearing against theoutside of the respective side walls of saiddrawer, and each of saidside channels being provided with a rearwardly extending guide tabbearing snugly against said stiifening channels on said drawer sidewalls.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,757,293 5/30Card 312-214 1,842,398 1/32 Furlong 312-320 X 2,167,995 8/39 Preston312257 2,309,882 2/43 Bescherer 312--320 X 2,720,683 10/55 Schwenker 312-257 3,024,075 3/62 Howe 3 12214 3,097,030 7/63 Hartley 312-214 XFRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Examiner.

